Danon: Palestinians won’t try to gain full membership in U.N. this month

Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said last week he planned to submit a request to the Security Council for full UN membership in January.

By HERB KEINON
Updated: JANUARY 7, 2019 09:22
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
A week after floating the idea, the Palestinians have ditched a plan to apply for full UN membership through the UN Security Council, Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said on Sunday.
Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said last week he planned to submit a request to the Security Council for full UN membership in January. He said he planned to travel to New York to personally submit the request. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was also considering visiting the UN to advance the move.
Danon led a diplomatic effort over the last week to thwart the membership campaign, arguing among friendly countries on the Security Council that the PA does not meet the fundamental conditions of permanent membership in the UN because of its clear policy of paying salaries to terrorists and the public incitement campaign it leads against Israel in textbooks and social networks. One condition for UN membership is that a candidate state must be “peace loving,” something Danon argued was belied by the PA’s payments to terrorists.
He said on Sunday that it appeared the Palestinians have backed away from the gambit, concerned it would not garner the nine votes in the Security Council to force the US to use its veto.
“The PA continues to error in its attempt to establish facts on the ground through unilateral moves while it has not abandoned the path of terror,” he said.
In order to gain full UN membership, states need to win the approval of nine of the 15 countries on the Security Council – and not be vetoed by one of the five permanent members – and also then be approved in the General Assembly by a two-thirds majority.
A Palestinian move for full UN acceptance failed in 2011 when the PA was unable to get the necessary nine states in the Security Council.